diff --git a/cranelift/codegen/src/isa/x64/lower.isle b/cranelift/codegen/src/isa/x64/lower.isle
index c78c111f2b..deb4e32f74 100644
--- a/cranelift/codegen/src/isa/x64/lower.isle
+++ b/cranelift/codegen/src/isa/x64/lower.isle
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 ;; x86-64 instruction selection and CLIF-to-MachInst lowering.
 
+;; Enable overlap checking for the x64 backend
+(pragma overlap_errors)
+
 ;; The main lowering constructor term: takes a clif `Inst` and returns the
 ;; register(s) within which the lowered instruction's result values live.
 (decl lower (Inst) InstOutput)
diff --git a/cranelift/isle/isle/Cargo.toml b/cranelift/isle/isle/Cargo.toml
index 5d462987b8..28a6c6df83 100644
--- a/cranelift/isle/isle/Cargo.toml
+++ b/cranelift/isle/isle/Cargo.toml
@@ -19,6 +19,5 @@ tempfile = "3"
 [features]
 default = []
 
-overlap-errors = []
 logging = ["log"]
 miette-errors = ["miette"]
diff --git a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/ast.rs b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/ast.rs
index c6f5a50d95..6337ff5b04 100644
--- a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/ast.rs
+++ b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/ast.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ pub struct Defs {
 /// One toplevel form in an ISLE file.
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
 pub enum Def {
+    Pragma(Pragma),
     Type(Type),
     Rule(Rule),
     Extractor(Extractor),
@@ -29,6 +30,13 @@ pub enum Def {
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Hash)]
 pub struct Ident(pub String, pub Pos);
 
+/// Pragmas parsed with the `(pragma <ident>)` syntax.
+#[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
+pub enum Pragma {
+    /// Enable overlap errors in the source.
+    OverlapErrors,
+}
+
 /// A declaration of a type.
 #[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Debug)]
 pub struct Type {
diff --git a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/overlap.rs b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/overlap.rs
index 1c8542c534..5861b8b5fe 100644
--- a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/overlap.rs
+++ b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/overlap.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use crate::sema::{self, Rule, RuleId, Sym, TermEnv, TermId, TermKind, TypeEnv, V
 /// Check for overlap.
 pub fn check(tyenv: &TypeEnv, termenv: &TermEnv) -> Result<()> {
     let mut errors = check_overlaps(termenv).report(tyenv, termenv);
-    if cfg!(feature = "overlap-errors") {
+    if termenv.overlap_errors {
         errors.sort_by_key(|err| match err {
             Error::OverlapError { rules, .. } => rules.first().unwrap().1.from,
             _ => Pos::default(),
diff --git a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/parser.rs b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/parser.rs
index 68fb3adb2d..cfe0444a91 100644
--- a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/parser.rs
+++ b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/parser.rs
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
         self.lparen()?;
         let pos = self.pos();
         let def = match &self.symbol()?[..] {
+            "pragma" => Def::Pragma(self.parse_pragma()?),
             "type" => Def::Type(self.parse_type()?),
             "decl" => Def::Decl(self.parse_decl()?),
             "rule" => Def::Rule(self.parse_rule()?),
@@ -197,6 +198,14 @@ impl<'a> Parser<'a> {
         }
     }
 
+    fn parse_pragma(&mut self) -> Result<Pragma> {
+        let ident = self.parse_ident()?;
+        match ident.0.as_ref() {
+            "overlap_errors" => Ok(Pragma::OverlapErrors),
+            _ => Err(self.error(ident.1, format!("Unknown pragma '{}'", ident.0))),
+        }
+    }
+
     fn parse_type(&mut self) -> Result<Type> {
         let pos = self.pos();
         let name = self.parse_ident()?;
diff --git a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/sema.rs b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/sema.rs
index 5732ba300c..7435623be9 100644
--- a/cranelift/isle/isle/src/sema.rs
+++ b/cranelift/isle/isle/src/sema.rs
@@ -200,6 +200,9 @@ pub struct TermEnv {
     /// defined implicit type-converter terms we can try to use to fit
     /// types together.
     pub converters: StableMap<(TypeId, TypeId), TermId>,
+
+    /// A flag indicating whether or not overlap between rules should be considered an error.
+    pub overlap_errors: bool,
 }
 
 /// A term.
@@ -786,8 +789,10 @@ impl TermEnv {
             term_map: StableMap::new(),
             rules: vec![],
             converters: StableMap::new(),
+            overlap_errors: false,
         };
 
+        env.collect_pragmas(defs);
         env.collect_term_sigs(tyenv, defs);
         env.collect_enum_variant_terms(tyenv);
         tyenv.return_errors()?;
@@ -806,6 +811,15 @@ impl TermEnv {
         Ok(env)
     }
 
+    fn collect_pragmas(&mut self, defs: &ast::Defs) {
+        for def in &defs.defs {
+            match def {
+                ast::Def::Pragma(ast::Pragma::OverlapErrors) => self.overlap_errors = true,
+                _ => (),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     fn collect_term_sigs(&mut self, tyenv: &mut TypeEnv, defs: &ast::Defs) {
         for def in &defs.defs {
             match def {